Description

The Routledge Guidebook to Berkeley’s Three Dialogues is an engaging introduction to the last of a trio of works that cemented Berkeley’s position as one of the truly great philosophers of the western canon. Berkeley’s distinctive idealist philosophy has been a challenge and inspiration for thinkers ever since.

Written for readers approaching this seminal work for the first time, this book:

provides the philosophical context in which Three Dialogues was written;

critically discusses the arguments in each of the Three Dialogues;and

examines some of the principal disputes concerning the interpretation of his work.

The Routledge Guidebook to Berkeley’s Three Dialogues offers a clear and comprehensive guide to this ground-breaking volume and includes further reading sections at the end of each chapter. This is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand this influential work.

Reviews

"A clear, informative and insightful guide to Berkeley’s most accessible philosophical work – ideal for beginners and advanced students. In his Problems of Philosophy, 1912, Bertrand Russell mentions seven great philosophers, from Plato to Kant, and the texts by them that he recommends for students – one is Berkeley’s Three Dialogues."

David Berman, Trinity College, Ireland

"Storrie's book is clearly written, rich in historical and philosophical context, rooted in Berkeley's writings and structured to give a student reader confidence. In a crowded field of introductory works on Berkeley it stands out by taking into account the recent and rapid developments in Berkeley scholarship, evaluating scholarly disputes judiciously and giving a consistent interpretation without being partisan. I would recommend it to anyone teaching early modern philosophy as the 'if you are only going to read one book about Berkeley, make it this one' text."

Tom Stoneham, University of York, UK

Table of Contents

1. The Context of Berkeley’s Three Dialogues. 2. The sceptical challenge. 3. The nature of the sensible I. 4. The Nature of the sensible II. 5. The existence and activity of God. 6. The rejection of theistic materialism. 7. A world in flux? 8. Mind and morality. Bibliography. Index.

About the Author

Stefan Storrie has published extensively on early modern philosophy, and Berkeley in particular. He is the editor of Berkeley’s Three Dialogues: New Essays (2018) and, with Ezio Di Nucci, 1984 and Philosophy (2018).

About the Series

The Routledge Guides to the Great Books provide ideal introductions to the texts which have shaped Western Civilization. The Guidebooks explore the arguments and ideas contained in the most influential works from some of the most brilliant thinkers who have ever lived, from Aristotle to Marx and Newton to Wollstonecraft. Each Guidebook opens with a short introduction to the author of the great book and the context within which they were working and concludes with an examination of the lasting significance of the book. The Routledge Guides to the Great Books will therefore provide students everywhere with complete introductions to the most significant books of all time.